U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton Mid Air Collision Avoidance System

Broderick (2016). U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton

                Northrop Grumman is currently finalizing testing of the MQ-4C Triton. It is the next iteration in the series of the RQ-4 Global Hawk that the U.S. Air Force is currently employing worldwide. The aircraft will be outfitted with the next generation of aircraft collision avoidance systems. This system is highly sought after in the RQ/MQ-4 community due to the lack of see and avoid capabilities of these aircraft. To fly among civilian and other military traffic, the FAA must provide a large bubble around these aircraft to keep them from risking other aircraft. With this new system, it will do the work for the FAA and allow the vehicle to do its mission without as many limitations.

                “The Airborne Collision Avoidance System X charts flight patterns that permit closer navigation to other aircraft while maintaining safety protocols.” (Broderick, 2016) The system uses algorithms to create models that determine the most dangerous situations that may occur and helps mitigate these situations based on pre-determined risk assessments from experts and the operators of the aircraft. Since the global hawk is 98% autonomous, this type of collision avoidance system is critical in ensuring the safety of other aircraft and people in the area in which it is operating. This sensor would be considered a Exteroceptive sensor. This is because the system will be determining the safety of the area in which is aircraft is operating, from the aircraft’s point of view.

                The Triton is capable of flying at an altitude of over 10 miles high and has a range of around 8,200 nautical miles. It is capable of flying for over 24 hours on its maritime missions. It will also be carrying a sensor package of cameras and Active Electronically Scanned Array radars onboard for ISR collect. The Triton will begin its employment in 2018 and will be part of the U.S. Navy’s first unmanned squadron in history.

References

Broderick, T. (2016, December 7). The U.S. Navy is Preparing the MQ-4C Triton Drone for Service

                in the Pacific. Retrieved May 28, 2017, from http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-

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